UFC Fight For the Troops 3: A Preview

Posted on November 5, 2013 by ALar

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I have to say, I am a fan of absolutely anything that benefits those that defend our country. I genuinely respect the UFC for throwing this fight card at Fort Campbell in Kentucky in front of a packed house of our nation’s heroes. This patriotically themed Fight Night event echoes the same level of fights that we see on the other Wednesday Night cards that have filled up our DVRs. Though, when you take a magnifying glass to this Wednesday’s lineup, it is surprisingly solid. Admittedly, the Main Event lost some luster when Lyoto Machida was pulled and replaced with NYC’s own ‘Sapo’ Natal. Even so, for the average fight fan that likely doesn’t have a busy schedule on a November Wednesday Eve, this one could be worth a bag of popcorn and a six pack of your favorite domestic brew. On to the preview!

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Karate Congrats!

Posted on October 27, 2013 by moaimartialarts

This was a big weekend for several of my karate heroes! First, I’d like to congratulate my sensei, Ed DeCosta for achieving his 9th-dan while training in Okinawa this week. After a lifetime of training and teaching, it is a tremendous accomplishment for him.

What isn’t recognized by his promotion is his dedication to bringing out the best in his students. I am in his debt for all he has done for me over the years, and I wouldn’t be anywhere near as physically, mentally, or spiritually strong as I am today without his care and guidance. Thanks, Ed!

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UFC Fight Night 30: Machida v. Munoz Quick Picks!

Posted on October 25, 2013 by ALar

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Woah, this one snuck up on me! This Saturday afternoon the UFC is throwing down another Fight Night card on Fox Sports 2 (AKA Fuel TV). This card isn’t exactly setting my inner MMA fanaticism on fire, and thankfully I don’t think that is the point. This card was supposed to feature British favorite Michael Bisping in his home country, (hence the 3 PM ET start.) but he was forced off the card with a gruesome eye injury. And let’s face it, any card, no matter the quality would have a tough time following up last weekend’s stellar UFC 166 card. As usual with these Fight Night events, we have three solid fights up top and then an assortment of local talent and up and comers filling out the rest. I mean, if you don’t have a religious college football alliance or aren’t out soaking in the fall foliage, what better do you have to do than take a seat on the couch and watch some fights? On to the preview!

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UFC 166 Quick Picks

Posted on October 19, 2013 by ALar

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Well, well, well. It hasn’t been a fun week in the world of ALar. I had an exhaustive event preview in the can for all of you loyal readers out there, but my trusty Macbook decided to bite the dust last night and it was lost forever. But fear not, I fought tooth and nail in order to provide my fans with some sort of event preview for one of the biggest (literally and figuratively) UFC cards of the year. We have four of the top Heavyweights in the world in action tonight, so that you get your buzz going. Combine that with an absolute barn burner of a Lightweight match-up between Gil Melendez and Diego Sanchez and you have a night of cant miss fights! On to the preview…

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Wednesday Night Fights: UFC Fight Night 29 Edition

Posted on October 8, 2013 by ALar

ALar takes a look at tomorrow night’s UFC event

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Another Wednesday and another UFC card for your viewing pleasure… Hey, guess what country this thing takes place in? “Brazil?!?” You got it!

Yesss, this is another one of those localized Brazilian ‘flavored’ cards, but hey, what more can you ask for from the UFC on a Wednesday night during the MLB playoffs and the height of football season? We get six fights on the FOX Sports 1 portion of the card and actually, they don’t look all that bad. As predicted, each tilt features a home country Brazilian, but the match ups are all pretty damn fair with no one exceeding a 4-1 favorite according to the boys in Vegas. It should be noted that a Welterweight contender scrap between former title challengers Demian Maia and Jake Shields tops off the event. Maia of course fought Anderson Silva for the Middleweight strap at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. While we all remember when Mr. Shields was manhandled by GSP in April of 2011.  Let’s get to the preview!

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Legal Doping? A List of Nutritional Supplements That Are Too Good To Be True

Posted on September 30, 2013 by moaimartialarts

I’m not a competitive athlete, but I am interested in becoming as healthy and fit as I can be. I do have martial arts students and my new son to stay in shape for, after all. So I research and test many different supplements to find out which ones work best for my lifestyle. If you’re like me, and you’re not interested in spending hours at the gym doing biceps curls just to impress girls at the beach, cheating an athletic commission, or winning seven Tours de France, then things like steroids, HGH, and EPO aren’t even on your radar. If you are like me, a regular guy who wants to stay fit and healthy, you probably have a set of sensible criteria for your supplements. Here are mine. Any supplement I take regularly must:

  • be naturally sourced,
  • be an element of real food that I don’t normally get in my diet,
  • have no side effects,
  • and provide significant bang for my buck.

Supplements that meet these criteria include fish oil, L-theanine, probiotics, spurlina, cholerella, and vitamin D. Until recently I took ginseng, too, but I found out it was increasing my blood pressure, so it’s out. I actually experienced slight withdrawals from dropping it. Go figure. (Look for some tips on achieving a stimulant-free lifestyle on Jacked Dad coming soon!)

Sometimes “too good” is too good to be true . . .

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Samurai Sword HQ

Posted on September 23, 2013 by moaimartialarts

If you’re like me, then ever since you were a kid you wanted a real-life, razor-sharp, totally beyond badass samurai sword.  I wanted one even before I started martial arts after reading the Return of the Ninja choose your own adventure book.  Sure, I didn’t know the difference between a samurai sword, a katana, or even a wakizashi back then, but it didn’t matter because all those weapons were–and are–SO COOL!

Now that I’m a grown-up and a martial artist with an Internet connection and a credit card, I can make some of my bushido fantasies into realities.  Our newest sponsor, Samurai Swords HQ offers every kind of Asian edged weapon you could imagine and more.

So, if you’re like me, then, really, how could you NOT check out this site?  Order before Tuesday night and you can get 10% off!  Just use the code SAVE10!  Click the link below to check out this awesome site.

See you there!

SumuraiSwordHQ

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UFC 165 Preview: Within Reach

Posted on September 19, 2013 by ALar

ALar takes a look at UFC 165

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Well, well, well… There was an outcry from MMA fans the last month or so that the brass over at Zuffa were over-saturating their product and pumping out far too many shows. After we were blitzed with 3 shows in 7 days, I’ll admit those over-saturation cries have fallen on deaf ears. I have been suffering from some serious UFC withdrawal over the last two weeks, let me tell you! This Saturday we have not one, but TWO UFC titles on the line along with a slew of other solid fights. In the evening’s co-main event, Renan Barao will look to defend his Interim Bantamweight Championship against Eddie Wineland. Barao has looked unbeatable as of late and as Dominick Cruz’s return looms somewhere in the distance this fight might be the last time that useless ‘interim’ title gets defended. The night’s crown jewel pits superstar Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones against rangy contender Alexander Gustafsson. Will Gustafsson’s reach be as advantageous as the UFC marketing for this fight says? I’ll let you know in my preview!

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Passion and Warfare: How to Stay True to Your Fighting Spirit

Posted on September 5, 2013 by moaimartialarts

When I was a teenager, I was sort of obsessed with guitarist Steve Vai.  His wild, fiery rock and roll playing is outrageously technical, and, some say, a tad overwrought.  But his craziest runs are often balanced by quieter, thoughtful melodies, and no one can doubt his devotion to music.

A perfect example is his instrumental ballad “For the Love of God”.  In this version, he is accompanied by an orchestra.  Love or hate his style if you will, but even a glimpse of this video reveals the passion with which he plays.

Vai explains in this interview what it took to write such a complicated and emotional song.  He fasted to experience an altered state of consciousness, an awakening.  A self-described seeker of spiritual truths and a master of technical aspects of guitar, Vai uses music to pursue his vision of enlightenment.

Sounds a lot like someone training the the martial arts, huh? Continue reading →

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3 Events, 7 Days: The Brazilian Finale

Posted on September 3, 2013 by ALar

I’m dragging, barely functioning, but I will still answer the call for my loyal readers! If you watched this weekend’s UFC 164 card, there was no doubt that you were entertained by a tantalizing night of fights. If you ask me, the world is now a better place that Anthony Pettis is the UFC Lightweight Champion. Let’s hope for the best case scenario regarding his knee and make that Aldo fight happen!

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This Wednesday the UFC shoots down to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira v. Bader. I’m not going to fake it like I know anything about the Brazilian filled undercard, instead I am going to throw you my picks for the top three fights of the night. With Grad school starting up tomorrow and my ever important fantasy football draft looming, this blog has me feeling like Soa Palelei on Saturday night! Here we go!

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